Doldrums

I’ve had the last three days off, but, as per usual, have little to show for it. Or do I?

Monday Afternoon
I went shopping and tried on 27 pairs of jeans and, to my great surprise, actually found two pairs that fit—these Levi’s. Nevertheless, it was an exhausting experience. The jeans are almost identical to the Levi’s I wore in high school and yet, according to one Web site, they will “keep me in style with today’s hottest fashion trends.” I’m relieved to know that.

Monday Evening
I went to the third of the five Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) films I’m seeing, Border Café (from Iran), about a widow who decides to run her late husband’s roadside café rather than marry her brother-in-law as custom would dictate (yes, this is a contemporary film). It was quite good, although perhaps a bit melodramatic. I’m always amazed and pleased by how well attended the PIFF films are. Border Café was sold out.

Tuesday
I interviewed two contractors who came over to give us estimates on what it would take to rid ourselves of the Worst Dishwasher Known to Humanity™* and replace it with something better, which is going to involve carpentry and the sacrifice of precious cabinet space. It will be so worth it, though. TWDKTH™ is known as TWDKTH™ because even if you thoroughly rinse and rigorously scour everything before you put it in TWDKTH™, TWDKTH™ still manages to marshal food particles from somewhere within its bowels and distribute them evenly over every plate, bowl, mug, and piece of glassware (especially glassware) and then adhere them semipermanently during the so-called dry cycle. I hate that goddamn thing! I may have to chop it up with an ax once it’s been removed. That would be so satisfying.

I had a late lunch with B at a Middle Eastern café. This was direct result of seeing Border Café the night before.

Tuesday Evening
Collected my very belated birthday present from B by going to see The Pillowman at Portland Center Stage’s newly renovated Gerding Theater at the Armory. The play was excellent—excellent performances and an excellent script. It was one of the top three plays I’ve seen in the five years we’ve lived in Portland.

I loved the new theater space as well. Hats off to the architects who renovated it and somehow managed to make a concretey former armory with slitty prison-like windows seem warm and inviting. Possibly some of the cozy vibe is owing to the presence of La-Z-Boy (!) furnishings throughout the three-tiered lobby, although who can say for sure?

Wednesday
Pretended to work for a couple of hours on a project that just came in. I read through a bunch of stuff and fired off a list of queries. Since I sent off the queries toward the end of the client's day and didn’t hear back from him, I talked myself into believing that it would be best not to proceed further until I get a response from him. In reality, there’s absolutely no reason I couldn’t have started on the project. I just didn’t want to. Instead I spent almost the entire afternoon sitting in a rocking chair knitting a sweater for my sister.

I didn’t even leave the house today. I was (and still am) feeling unaccountably inert and unmotivated. I’d better be snapped out of this ennui by tomorrow, as the new project has a very tight and inflexible deadline.

*Also known as the apartment-sized Frigidaire installed (none too well) by the previous owner. Never buy a Frigidaire dishwasher of any kind—they're all rubbish.